Learning the Lesson Again
by Lion warrior
Summary: Po is in a bad mood. He's been blasted back in time by an evil wizard with his redeemed friend to the one point in his life that he SEEMS to hate the most: Being chosen as Dragon Warrior? What is going on? Reviewing helps me.
1. Chapter 1

Learning the Lesson... Again

**Don't own KFP**

* * *

The panda opened his eyes, slowly blinking away the foggy sensation that was in his vision. Was that green with bright light brown blob? No, it was something else. He could make out Mantis's buggy eyes looking at him. He slowly looked around and saw the Furious Five standing in front of him. Po looked all around, seeing a crowd of all the villagers in the Jade Palace arena in complete and utter silence. "Huh? What's going on?" Po mumbled as he looked around and saw Oogway pointing at him. "What? Master Oogway?"

"You?"

"Huh?"

"Master Oogway, are you pointing at me?" Tigress questioned, confused as well. Po was more than confused as he turned his head back to Oogway.

"No, it's you."

"Me... what?" Po asked very carefully.

"The Universe has brought the Dragon Warrior," Oogway warmly declared.

"What?" Shifu exclaimed.

"What?" Exclaimed the Furious Five.

"What?" Exclaimed Mr. Ping. Po was speechless as the crowd went wild. Confetti littered the air as a greatly disturbed red panda scuttled down to the tortoise. A band of pigs quickly swept Po off of his feet and placed him in a moving chair carried by four ducks who struggled to lift the heavy panda up.

"Master Oogway, wait! That flabby panda can't possibly be the answer to _our problem_! You were about to point at Tigress when that... THING fell in front of her! That was an accident!" Shifu exclaimed in vivid frustration.

"There are no accidents," Oogway said just as Po's chair crashed under the panda's weight. Shifu's face twitched as his mind physically was broken. The Furious Five respectfully bowed to their master as Tigress said with a heavy heart.

"Forgive us, Master Shifu. We have failed you."

"No," Shifu quickly answered, straightening his face. "If the panda has not quit by morning, then I would have failed you." The procession quickly brought Po up to the Hall of Heroes, dropped him off, quite literally, and moved out. Po stumbled to his feet and looked around.

"I'm... I'm the Dragon Warrior. Oogway is... no, no, NO NO!" Po cried out, slamming his hands on the door of the Hall of Heroes. He threw himself away from the door and paced around in the glassy jade floor. "I can't believe this! Not this stupid place again!" Po struck his fist against one of the pillars of the Jade Palace. "YEAAAHOOO!" he screamed, rubbing his hand in pain. "That's right. I feel more pain here," Po grimaced. He stumbled over to a pillar and rested his body against it. "Okay, let's get this straight. I'm back in time. I'm at the period where I was chosen as Dragon Warrior. The time where the Furious Five and Shifu hated me for taking the position. Ugh, that means that Mr. talky-Mouth's spell actually worked AND he's somewhere in this timezone." Po smashed his fist lightly against the pillar behind him, causing the familiar sound of a vase to shake a bit. Po chuckled as he saw the Ancient Urn of Whispering Warriors. This was really a sight for sour eyes.

"Huh," Po chuckled to himself, "I forgot what that thing looked like without all the cracks in it." While it was a reminder of where he was, it served as a comforting sight for him. "*sigh* okay, I've been through worse before. And just because... Wait, Tai was with me in that blast! So that means... Oh no." Po vigorously shook his head after realizing something. "He got himself out there before, he can do it again in record time," Po sighed, calming himself down as he slowed the racing thoughts in his head. "So right now, it's an easy day for me."

"I wouldn't even let the thought come into your mind," Said a familiar voice. Po chuckled more, looking over to the red panda he knew was there. Master Shifu was mildly intrigued that the panda seemed to know he was there in the first place. Po looked him straight in the face with a slight smile as he bowed.

"Master Shifu." The Red panda wasn't the least impressed. "So, when does training begin?"

"Oh, so you're the legendary Dragon Warrior, hmm?" Shifu asked mockingly with disbelief. Po sighed as if Master Shifu had given him a test he had already taken before. With a prepared yet somewhat bored look, the panda replied.

"It doesn't matter," He said, offputting to the red panda, "I'm the only Dragon Warrior you got." Po walked towards the door, noticed that Shifu wasn't following, and swept his hand forward. "Shall we go to training, Master Shifu?" The tone sounded almost... mocking. Shifu's suspicious glare stayed on the panda as he proceeded. "I hope my brother is doing okay," Po muttered to himself in real concern.

Meanwhile, in a cold tundra captured mountain range, a frantic and panicky bird flew to the entryway of the highly secured Chor-gom Prison. He flapped down, crashing into the cold snow. Zeng immediately noticed something at the front gate. No guards. He struggled to his webby feet and pulled the door open to see a horrific scene. Guards pilled in two heaping corners, groaning and moaning as Zeng entered into the prison. "This is bad, this is bad, this is very very bad," Zeng timidly cried out. "I have to get back to Shifu andddd andddd and," His voice slowly rising in pitch as he felt a warm furry wall behind him. He slowly turned around and saw the fearsome furious snow leopard known as Tai-Lung, freed from his prison. Zeng quaked in fear, gulping as he felt Tai-Lung's hands pick him up. He was shaking a lot now, fearing that the snow leopard would do something horrible like, torture him, kill him, eat him, or worse... call his wife. But the snow leopard did something that Zeng never thought he would do.

"You need to calm down," Tai-Lung smiled warmly, chuckling at the bird's timidness as he walked inside of the prison. "I've made you some tea and a proper coat for your return home," Tai-Lung said, presenting a table with steaming tea and a coat on a hanger. The snow leopard felt the bird's shivers calm down. "Not exactly the fearsome tyrant you were expecting?"

"Ii...I III I have to send a message to Master Shifu about you!" Zeng stuttered, quickly shutting his mouth upon realizing that the snow leopard's temper could explode at any provocation. Tai-Lung simply smiled.

"Indeed you do," Tai-Lung said, sipping his tea, "But first, please have some tea. I don't know why Shifu would be so cruel as to leave you alone to carry such an important message with little preparation."

"Well, you know... the job of a messenger," Zeng nervously chuckled. Tai-Lung face turned distant as he looked back at Zeng. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No, no, no, it's just... if the people at the Jade Palace haven't said it already, you're appreciated, Zeng. Know that for sure."

"Um... thank you?" Zeng said with confusion. Tai-Lung shook his head.

"Quickly, finish your tea and go back to the Jade Palace," The snow leopard quickly replied, giving the duck a scroll. "Give that straight to a panda that will be there when you get there. He's the Dragon Warrior. The tea you're sipping is a special elixir that helps birds fly like eagles. It's urgent that you get to the Jade Palace fast! Don't worry about me and the Dragon scroll, that useless blank sheet is worth nothing."

"Wait, you know what the scroll says?!" Zeng exclaimed as he let Tai-Lung help put on the coat.

"Don't worry about that, we have a bigger issue. If Oogway is around when you get there, tell him to watch for a rhino named Shijian Emo, Emo for short," Tai-Lung quickly said.

"Wait, you're not coming?"

"Not right now, but I'll be at the Jade Palace shortly."

"Wait, what about this panda? What does he look like? Other than a panda?" Zeng asked.

"His name is Po. Trust me, you'll find him easily. He's the most caring, gentle, warm fluffy panda you've ever met," Tai-Lung chuckled a bit at the memory. However, the snow leopard didn't know how wrong he was.

**Continued...**


	2. Po's Reasons for existing in this past

Po's Reasons for Existing in this Present

* * *

Shifu opened the doors to the Training Hall. Po's eyes were set on the sight of the room. He breathed in the scent, good memories still ran around in his mind. He watched the Furious Five performing their martial arts, gracefully and elegantly, while sparring with each other. Po smiled warmly as his eyes stared absentmindedly at Tigress, but he wasn't so absent that he didn't notice the flying chunk of wood soaring at him. By instinct, Po moved his head out of the way, something that didn't go unnoticed by Shifu. The Red panda brushed it off as a lucky dodge. "Let's begin."

"Huh? Now?" The question didn't seem strange to Po. His mind was just spacing out to some far off past... or future... or... you know, I don't know how this time thing works. The point is he was thinking about that and didn't pay attention to Shifu's question.

"Yes, unless you think the Great Oogway was wrong and you're not the Dragon Warrior," Shifu smiled. His face seemed like he was trying to be nice... a bit, but his tone of voice made it apparent that he was trying to get Po to doubt himself. Po sighed as he shook his head, walking over to the punching dummy at the corner.

"I don't think I'm the kind of warrior to do all of that," Po replied emotionlessly.

"You never know if you don't try," Shifu suggested. The panda sighed again.

"I mean train like them. I'm not exactly like the Furious Five, Master Shifu. I'm different," Po said, playing with the ears of the punching dummy as he leaned on it carefully. "Did Master Oogway train you the way that you're training the Five?" Shifu was about to answer but found that the panda was right. He quickly shook his head a bit and glared at the panda.

"It doesn't matter what my training was or is," Shifu said, indicating he was still learning, "Your training must start... now!" He quickly knocked the dummy away from the panda's lean, but the panda was quick to get off. Just as he said that the Furious Five came forward. Po bowed before them.

"It is a great honor to be in the presence of all you," Po said with a deep longing that couldn't be expressed. "You've really been... an inspiration for me and the villagers below. Not like, below me, although, I guess they are below me since I'm on a mountain,-" He stopped short as he noticed the bored/irritated/confused looks of the Furious Five. "Hehe, rambling," He nervously chuckled as he got back on topic, "It's just... in a place where I was constantly bullied, mistreated, and laughed at, you guys were my motivation, I just wanted to thank you guys for that." The Furious Five's faces changed from emotionless to slightly ashamed and guilty, save Tigress who was still glaring at the panda. That glare seemed to only make Po smile more. He shook his head, "Um... I don't think this kind of training is going to be... good for me."

"Oh? What kind of training are you thinking of doing?" Shifu questioned. Po smiled as he walked towards the exit.

"Some deep meditation... and some food," He said in a bit of a cheery tone as he walked out. Shifu's stern glare followed the panda out as he stroked his beard.

"Master Shifu, is it possible that we could give him a chance? He doesn't seem that bad."

"A good heart is not the only thing a warrior needs, Viper. They need training, discipline, and hard work!" Shifu rose his voice, making the snake slither into silence. "The panda is not the real Dragon Warrior. And if he thinks that meditation and... _food_," He said with slight disgust, "Is going to make him qualified to become the Dragon Warrior, he is sorely mistaken. Master Tigress, find the panda and keep an eye on him. Something is not right here," Shifu murmured, stroking his beard. Tigress bowed respectfully, but the frustrating glare in her eye told the rest she wasn't looking forward to the search.

Po walked up to the Peach Tree, grabbed a few leaves, put them into the water of his kettle, and poured them into the cup. He sipped it carefully. "HACK! Ugh, he was right," Po chuckled, "Peaches are for eating but peach tree leaves are not drinking." Po sighed. He had been doing a lot of sighing today. He was beginning to wonder if he had any extra breath in his lungs. He looked at the sun setting in the sky. The colors vibrantly spilled onto the canvas of the sky made the panda feel a little better in this whole ordeal. But in this situation, he was alone. Terribly so. Even with Tai-Lung where he was, he wouldn't probably make it until the time was needed.

"Ugh, why did this happen?" Po groaned as he remembered the incident that landed him here in the first place.

* * *

Po, Tai-Lung, and Tigress ran down the dark gray brick lair of the crazy villain they were chasing after. "I think he's here," Po shouted, pointing their direction.

"Good, now we can get back at him for what he did to Zeng," Tigress growled, hustling into high gear as they jumped and narrowly missed a trapdoor.

"You know, not to be mean, but you guys did have a part to play in his... demise," Tai-Lung added. Tigress growled at the snow leopard but then sighed in remorse, "But it's not your fault... entirely."

"Wow, and I thought I was bad at comforting her," Po commented. The two felines glared at him. "Uhhhh anyways, let's get going." The three ran down to the large empty room at the end. It had four large stone pillars keeping it up under the secret location that it was stationed. Po could see the small bookshelves filled with scrolls of the wizard's dark magic. Looking at the experiment table, it seemed like he had just left. Tai-Lung sniffed.

"He's still here," He growled.

"That's correct my furry foes," said a voice behind them as the doors behind them closed shut. Po, Tai-Lung, and Tigress turned around and spotted the voice's maker. Po's eyes narrowed in anger at the rhino had made his life as of three weeks complete and utter torture within the Jade Palace.

"Emo," He growled lowly. The rhino was much younger... in parts, than the typical rhinos that were seen. He was about the same height as Po, but much skinnier, topside wise. His horn was stubby and shorter than normal and his clothing was a mix of brown, black, and white tattered clothes patched or worn over each other. The Rhino's grin was the only thing that made him seem like an old man because his teeth were all out of whack, bent and hanging from unnatural positions.

"Well, look who finally decided to join me and my humble temporary dwellings," Emo wickedly grinned, looking at the bottle that he carried. No one noticed Po backing up to the experiment table, grabbing some unknown substance.

"What's in the vial, Emo?" Tai-Lung demanded.

"You don't order me around you turned-toe two-face goody-two-shoes!" Roared the rhino.

"Wow, that's a tongue twister. Turn-to two ta! Ahh, forget it," Po gave up.

"This, my friends, is a special elixir that will allow me to travel back in time to my true younger self."

"And not the ugly heap of mixed mash that you are now," Tai-Lung smartly scowled. It was true, the wizard seemed like only certain parts were older and other parts younger. The Rhino laughed at the snow leopard's comment.

"No matter. This will be my greatest achievement. I'll go back in time, stop you three from ever being a nuisance to me, and finally rule China!" Suddenly, Po threw a glass bottle full of some purple stuff at the bottle, knocking back onto the ground, splattering all over the ground. "NO! YOU IDIOT DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"

"Stop you from mess up the past... or present... or maybe future," Po said confusingly. **(Seriously, I do not know anything about this time thing. Bear with me)**. Po and Tai-Lung jumped at him as he tried gathering the liquid together. Suddenly, the contents of vial started to glow.

"Oh no," The Rhino stood back in pure panic. "No, no, we have to leave now!" Suddenly, the three were caught in a bubble of light.

"PO! TAI-LUNG!" Tigress shouted from the outside of the bubble. The blinding light covered both of them. Po shut his eyes and felt himself being twirled around like a rag doll, suddenly being thrown up and then dropped back down to the ground. That's where he saw he was back in time when he was chosen to be Dragon Warrior.

* * *

Po sighed at the memory. "Note to self, don't throw strange contents of wizard's experiments at him," Po muttered. He stood up and turned around just to stumble back down again. "AHH! GOSH!" He screamed, clutching to his chest. "My goodness, you're even quieter than normal." Tigress stood there with a silent emotionless stare as Po calmed down. "*Phew* Now, what are you doing up here, Master Tigress? Are... you here to spy on me?" He asked quite honestly. Tigress's eyes widened just a bit in slight surprise but narrowed back to their stern glare.

"Master Shifu has ordered me to keep watch of you. It's not wise to skip training," she added crossing her arms. Po rolled her eyes.

"Please, if I did that training, I would just look like an idiot. I mean... more of an idiot. I know my limitations," Po explained as he sat back down and tried the peach tree leaves again. "Ugh, still horrible." He looked back and saw Tigress still standing there like a hawk on a mouse. The panda patted the ground as an invitation for her to sit down. She hesitated for a while before doing so. "If it hasn't been said already," Po started after a long silence between them, "I'm sorry for taking the Dragon Warrior title from you. I can understand how much it means to you." Tigress's eyebrow rose. Po couldn't tell if she was surprised or suspicious.

"If you're so compassionate, then why don't you quit and let a _real_ warrior who actually knows Kung Fu have the title?" She asked quite bluntly. Po laughed it off, which was a surprise to the tiger.

"It wouldn't be best. You're too good to be Dragon Warrior," Po said, smothering out the fire he made for boiling the tea. He looked out from under the pink peach tree leaves to see the sky. Clear and bright with stars. The opposite of what he wanted. "Oh poo," he muttered.

"What do you mean by being too good? It takes years and years of training and preparation and-"

"Has that gotten you the title?" Po asked daringly. Tigress growled at him, showing her sharp fangs to the unphased panda. "Tigress, if you were to have the title, what would you be training for then?" Tigress actually thought for a moment, but couldn't think of anything. "Besides, think of the burden that I have now. A simple cook trying to save everyone in China? With no friends what so ever," Po sighed sadly looking at the ground. "Even with you guys around it would... I would be alone. What's all the honor and power in the world if... you're alone?" Tigress stayed silent. Her expression seemed less harsh than before. "Tigress, promise me this, don't judge by external standards. Judge by true standards." He sighed as he got up from the ground. "Well, I best be getting some sleep. I have a long session of training tomorrow."

"So you are training?" Po smiled warmly at her.

"Not in the way you think," He replied as the night sky above illuminated from the glow of the moon. Though her rage and anger of the panda were still there, Tigress was starting to have small respect for him.

**Continued...**


	3. Teaching

Teaching

* * *

The ringing of the gong struck the muscle memory nerves in the Furious Five, rousing them from their beds and saying their routine, "Master Shifu" call. Save for one person.

"Panda. Panda! Wake up!" Shifu shouted, bursting into the panda's room. He smiled a bit at the vacancy of the room. "Hmm, he's quit." As the Furious Five and Master Shifu walked up to the steps of the Training Hall, Viper had to ask something that was pressing on her heart.

"Master, with the panda gone, who will be the Dragon Warrior?"

"The only thing now is to wait until the real Dragon Warrior comes," He said as he was about to open the gates to the courtyard. Before everyone's eyes, there was Po sitting on the steps to the Training Hall, teaching a bunch of happy giddy bunnies. "WHAT! What is the meaning of this?!"

"Shhh, Shifu," Said Oogway who seem to come out of nowhere. "Listen."

"Remember, nothing is as it seems. There is always more to something than it appears. It may be simple, it may be complicated. You must learn and discover this for yourselves," Po said kindly and wisely to the bunnies.

"Dragon Warrior?" Shouted a small bunny child, "What does this have to do with Kung Fu?"

"Kung fu is a lot of things, but it's not just kicking, punching, and being awesome. It means being the best you-you can be. For me, being the best me I could be was being Dragon Warrior."

"Is it hard?"

"Extremely so. But every awesome thing in life is hard. Even inner peace. What makes it hard is not the trial itself, but how we see the trial," Po explained. The Furious Five were amazed, but Shifu shook his shock off the fastest as he stormed up to the panda. The bunnies scattered away at the sight of the red panda.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Demanded the irritated red panda.

"I was simply teaching the kids, Master Shifu. It's part of the duty of the Dragon Warrior, isn't it?" Po said with an emotionless face.

"You're not even trained yet. How is it that you know so much when you've never been through any kind of training?" Shifu asked with a derogatory tone, picking up some chunks of wood. "It takes years of hard work and training to even get to the level of a master." On instinct, Tigress jumped up and smashed both of the chunks in a kicking split. Po watched with a small smile on his face as she gracefully landed on the ground. Her huff at his stare didn't phase the panda. "What could you possibly know about Kung Fu at your stage?"

"What I teach is not my own, but comes straight from the core of Kung Fu. Whoever trains, not only has to train the body but the heart, mind, and character which are the most vital. And can become the best weapon," Po said to not only the Furious Five but some of the bunnies that stayed behind. "Those who try to teach without paying attention to the unique heart and mind of the person grow into mirrors of the teacher and quickly crumble under that teaching. Something you should understand well, Master Shifu," Po said with a surprising amount of harshness as he stood up. "Master Oogway taught you all the core principles, but not one of you really understand the principles." He looked down at Shifu and whispered, "Why are you trying to get rid of me?" Shifu was greatly surprised, but he tried his best to keep the surprise from showing.

Tigress who felt that the panda had insulted her master growled and stood in the way between Shifu and Po. "You're truly incompetent. Who would try and get rid of the Dragon Warrior at a time like this?" Po smiled at her tactic, seeing right through it.

"I already proved one of Oogway's principles right when I was chosen to be Dragon Warrior, and we were all surprised," Po walked around the Furious Five as he talked. "Master Shifu taught you that there are no accidents. Well, not him but Master Oogway who said it first. And this was especially true when you were all 'chosen' by misguided circumstances." He glanced straight at Tigress who avoided his gaze. "Now looking at how you all first formed the mighty and greatest Furious Five known to animal kind quite by accident, why are you angry with me because I've been chosen to have the burden of being the warrior that has to save all of China." He sighed as he looked at their clueless faces. "You all can go home at any time and live out your happy lives in any workplace. I can't. The Dragon Warrior title isn't a privilege. It's a burden," He said as he looked to Shifu. "Stop judging by external standards and judge by true standards." With that, Po walked away out of the courtyard. The Furious Five looked over to Shifu, who seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Hmm, he is much more knowledgable than I imagine. You may not have to train him, Shifu," Oogway smiled, walking past them, following the panda.

"He lacks discipline," Shifu griped.

"And a good kick in the rear," Mantis muttered to Monkey. Viper swatted him on the head.

"You are right. He will need a teacher then," Oogway mentioned, looking at Master Tigress. Tigress's eyes widened as she slightly shook her head.

"Master Oogway, with all due respect, I don't think I'm... qualified to teach him," She replied. Oogway smiled.

"You're right. You may just have to remind him," Oogway replied as he walked after the panda. Tigress looked at the ground, considering the words of the tortoise.

Meanwhile, Po was outside of the Hall of Heroes, looking at the partly cloudy bright sky. "Hmm," He grumbled, still no raincloud.

"You must be patient. It will come," Oogway said with a smile, looking at the kettle and teacup. They both sat down and looked at the sky.

"You've felt the disturbance in the universe, right?" Po asked out of the blue. Oogway nodded. "Then there's been something that I've always wanted to ask you," Po said with a strained and frustrated tone. "Why the riddles? You've wasted most of your life saying things that people won't get until they're cornered in a fight! You don't just outright tell them! Why?" Po said this with a more directed tone rather than an irritated tone. Oogway's smile couldn't be shaken.

"If riddles do not help, then maybe parables?" Oogway suggested. Po rolled his eyes as he slumped his head into his hand. "What is worth more? The treasure discovered or the treasure given?" Po paused before he said anything. He twisted his face, thinking about the parable/riddle. Then it came to him.

"A lesson is best learned when the person learning it discovers the truth for himself, rather than someone giving it to him. The lesson stays with him longer," Po answered, getting to the root of the parable quickly. Oogway smiled wider. Po sighed as he straightened his back, laid flat on the ground, and stared at the sky. "I still think to tell them outright is easier."

"You mean more guilt-free?" Oogway asked with a raised eyelid. Po huffed as Master Oogway got up and started walking. "That thing you said about not judging by external standards. Remember to practice what you preach, Po." With that he left, leaving an irritated and sulking panda by the door of the Hall of Heroes. Po got up from the ground only to stumble back down as he turned back.

"Sheesh! Tigress! Stop doing that!" Po panted. Tigress's glare burrowed into the panda, though it didn't seem to have any effect on him. "What's the matter?"

"I... Have a question and statement," Tigress growled out lowly. Po's eyebrow rose up. "You... Do not... address Master Shifu in that tone. Ever," She went right into his personal bubble and glared through his eyes.

"I can't promise that," He said honestly.

"What? Why?"

"Because he is almost the direct reason to why you guys think that attaining the Dragon Warrior Title is so important. Let me ask you something. If you were destined to be the Dragon Warrior, wouldn't Master Oogway have already chosen you? Because of that, you guys started training for something that... really wasn't suited for you. And... quite honestly, is not you," Po explained most daringly. Tigress's menacing silence made Po sigh. "If anyone of you had gotten the Dragon Warrior Title, wouldn't there be problems between you five?"

"We are not covetous."

"But it's part of our nature to want the best, even if we don't know what's best," Po explained. Tigress's silence came up again, but then she sighed turning her back towards Po. "I don't say this to be mean. I'm trying to be truthful." He gently rested his hand on her shoulder. "Master Tigress, you're much better suited for the title, that's true. But I don't think the title would really get you what you want. And I think even you know that." Tigress breathed in, holding her breath for a moment and then letting it out. Po knew that was her way of avoiding a cry. Tigress spun around, effectively removing Po's hand from her shoulder.

"Let's say you are right," Tigress said, showing she was entertaining some doubt, "What am I suppose to do?"

"Maybe find out who you are. Who knows, maybe that means being the trainer of the Dragon Warrior himself," Po proposed. Tigress's eyebrow rose in disbelief, but she showed just a hint of a smile, which got Po nervous. "I mean, if you wanted to that is. I'm not trying to impose any WHOA!" Suddenly, Po found himself flipped on his back as Tigress walked by.

"You'll definitely need training. That is for sure," Tigress confidently said as she strolled away. Po chuckled with a smile. She was learning. Faster than he ever thought she could.

**Continued...**


	4. The Time has Come

The Time has Come

**A/N: To those in the comment section. Please don't over think this story. It's a LOT simpler than you think. **

* * *

It was about midday when Po walked into the kitchen and cracked his knuckles. "Ow!" He muttered as he rubbed his hand. "Tigress makes it look so easy. Alright, let's get to it." He proceeded to wrestle and make up food seemingly out of thin air as he prepared the table and plates for the others. It was Monkey who noticed the commotion first, then Tigress, then Viper, Mantis, Crane, and finally Oogway. "A little bit of this and that annnnnndddd it's done!"

"What is done?" Mantis asked. Po turned around and poured out three soups, two plates of well-done seasoned soy, and one leafy salad.

"Lunch," Po smiled warmly. The Five hesitated for a moment, but after seeing Master Oogway practically eating his salad carefree, they decided to eat. Tigress was the last to start eating, measuring the facial expressions of the others to make sure the panda hadn't poisoned them. She tentatively nibbled a bit of her soy, slightly surprised at the superb taste. "Well, how is it?"

"Amazing! Where did you learn to cook like this?!" Viper exclaimed, holding another spoonful of soup to her mouth. Po smiled.

"My dad is a cook. I help him with the food most times," Po said as he looked outside the window of the kitchen. There was a small open kettle outside and Po sighed as he looked for the clouds. "Aw, man."

"Be patient. The rain will come," Oogway advised Po, who only glanced at the tortoise with a disappointing sigh. The others were confused.

"Master Oogway, what do you mean the rain?" Viper asked.

"Legend has it that rainwater helps to make tea better. It's rumored to even make regular leaves taste like the best tea you've ever tasted," Po explained. The Five looked at him with bewildered faces. "And I'm trying to test it but the stupid rain won't come," Po pouted, crossing his arms for added effect. No one saw it, but a small smile came to Tigress's face at Po's pout. Oogway smiled as well as he stood up, taking his food with him.

"Be patient, Po. It will come," Oogway replied as he left the room. The others took another look at Po and started laughing at the panda's mannerism. Po laughed with them.

"Wow, Po. I've never heard of someone doing something so... odd," Crane honked.

"That's what gives us new light. Finding new perspectives to shake up and refine our old ones," Po replied. He laughed at his own statement. "Aw, great. I sound like Oogway now." Just then, buzzkill... I mean, Shifu, stormed into the kitchen.

"What is going on here?!" He ordered, snapping everyone to attention. Po sighed as if the joy of the room had just been sucked out.

"We're eating, Master Shifu," Po calmly replied, "I even made some extra noodles for you." Shifu's eyes were fixed on him in anger as he walked importantly over to his seat.

"Training requires the utmost discipline in exercise and diet," Shifu responded. Po was about to roll his eyes, but then what he said gave him an idea. He looked down at his red panda friend and smiled.

"You're absolutely right!" Po excitedly replied as he got up and grabbed some food from the pot and placed it into a bowl. Passing it to Shifu before he could object, Po grabbed his own bowl and started walking out the kitchen. "Shall we begin, Shifu?" The red panda walked with the giant panda down to the Training Hall courtyard. "Now, you and this inner peace thing."

"Panda, this is not my training we're talking about," Shifu remarked, realizing what the panda was getting at. Po slurped up a mouthful of food and gulped them down.

"Oh, but I think it is," Po replied as he placed his bowl down. "Master Shifu, why do you want to control everything?"

"It is needed so that a master can train his body to the highest degree," Shifu answered.

"Hmm, and can you control... Oogway?" Shifu shuttered back a bit, shaking his head vigorously.

"What?! No!"

"But you can control how you receive his guidance, and how you apply them, right?" Po asked. Shifu remained silent. "You're stuck in this illusion of control. You may plant a seed by control, but you can not control what _kind_ of tree it will be, can you?"

"Why are you worried about my inner peace?"

"One, you're my master, so I have to," Po bluntly stated, though his attitude suggested he didn't want to. "Two, your inner disharmony affects your students directly. Three, having this inner peace will help you confront Tai-Lung when he comes." Shifu's eyes widened. So he knew? "And four," Po sighed again, "You can't change the past, and you can't control the future. Today is given to you. That's why it's called the present, Shifu." Po looked on to the skies above. "Your issue is not that Tai-Lung was imprisoned. Your issue is that you haven't come to terms that you made some mistakes. It's alright, though. In the end, everything works out for the better. In the end-"

"There are no accidents," Shifu finished, looking at the bowl of food in his hands.

"Stop judging yourself from external standards, and judge yourself by true standards." Shifu let the words the panda spoke sink in. He took a long slurp of his noodles, making Po wonder if he was taking breaks to breathe. After gulping the whole thing in one go, Shifu placed the bowl down and... did something that Po didn't think he would do... ever.

BURRRRRRPPP!

"Whoa! Was that you Master Shifu?" Shifu smiled at the amazed panda.

"There is a lot of things you need to learn, Dragon Warrior," He smiled. Po smiled back, but then his face turned serious as he heard something. "You hear it."

"Yeah, that's Zeng."

"That's impossible- how could he get back so quickly?"

"It's a long story," Po grumbled as the other Five, who saw Zeng flying in, ran to the courtyard where the duck landed with slight new confidence in his wing muscles. "Well?" Po demanded more harshly than ever. Zeng was taken back from the big panda's tone. Shifu seemed to be more welcoming.

"Oh, Zeng. You're back. We could use some good news," Shifu smiled. Zeng was about to speak, but the words of Shifu started to register in his mind. He paused.

"Ahhhh," Zeng shook his head. There was no way he was going to cover this up. "There is... weird news."

"Tai-Lung is free and he's heading this way," Po emotionlessly replied. The whole team gasped as Zeng nodded. Po spotted his coat. "Master Shifu, please tell Master Oogway about this. Master Monkey and Mantis, could you run a hot bath for Zeng. He's been in the cold for too long." Zeng quirked his head to the side in confusion. Both the snow leopard and the panda seemed to be extremely worried about him. Mantis was rose his bug eyebrow in slight defiance of the panda's commanding tone.

"Excuse me?" Mantis asked with attitude.

"NOW!" Po growled, making the two scrabble to get the bath running. This shocked everyone. "Mr. Zeng, did Tai-Lung send you a message?"

"Yyyy yes," Zeng produced the scroll written for Po. The panda gently took the scroll and walked away.

"If you need me, I'll be in the Hall of Heroes," Po said importantly. As Po walked away, Zeng grew bold.

"That's Po?!" He exclaimed in a question. Tigress was the first to note that Zeng knew him by name. "Tai-Lung described him as an angel, not another Shifu."

"How do you know him?" She asked.

"Well, Tai-Lung told me after he offered me tea, and-"

"Wait, Tai-Lung offered you tea?!" Crane squawked. The duck nodded. Tigress crossed her arm in a thinking manner. Vipre noticed this.

"What's wrong, Tigress?"

"Po and I are roughly the same age. There's no way that Tai-Lung would know Po in depth or vice versa."

"Maybe there's a chance he delivered food to Tai-Lung while he was imprisoned," Crane suggested.

"No, Chor-gom is built not to allow anyone from the outside in. And Po's father wouldn't just give food to a non-paying customer," Tigress remarked. She gazed at Zeng a bit, making the duck nervous. "They both seem to know you pretty well and the only way I can see them knowing each other is through letters."

"I've only seen that panda once when Master Shifu got food poisoning. I've never sent messages between him and Tai-Lung, Master Tigress," Zeng explained quickly. Tigress thought in silence for a moment.

"But how do they know each other," Viper asked Zeng, who simply shrugged.

"But... I did notice that Tai-Lung seems to have changed. I've only had this job for a couple of years, but he doesn't... seem that bad. Oh! He also told me to tell you guys to watch out for a person named Emo." Viper and Crane looked at each other in confusion.

"Tai-Lung warning us about a villain? Something's off," Viper hissed. Crane shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, we don't know what the future will hold." Tigress's eyes popped out, then she laughed, causing everyone to jolt to attention. She calmed herself down with a smile plastered on her face. "Tigress? Are you okay?" Crane asked.

"I know exactly what's going on," She smiled warmly and humorously. She bent down to Zeng's height. "Get some rest and some food. You've done a great job for us, Zeng." With that, she left the three of them confused and bewildered.

**Continued...**


	5. The Change

The Change

* * *

Po looked over the message hard, peering down at it with slight frustration and anger. "Grrr," Po grumbled, tossing the message side. He sighed to calm down. "Well, on the bright side he has to come here," Po said, referring to Emo. The problem was that he didn't want it to take so long. Po plopped down flat on his back looking at the ceiling in complete helplessness. "What am I going to do now?" Suddenly, he heard a small movement. He turned his head towards the doorway and saw Crane, Viper, Mantis, and Monkey. Po got up from the floor. "Hey, what's up?"

"Well, we wanted to ask you that. You seemed to change tones when Zeng came back," Crane stated. Po sighed with a heavy smile.

"It's nothing, really. It's just... well... things will be different when Tai-Lung comes."

"And you're not worried in the slightest? Even without any kind of training whatsoever?" Mantis pointed out. Po smiled a bit warmer.

"The same was true with you guys. When Boar came, did you guys have much formal training?" Po asked. The four of them looked at each other.

"No, we didn't."

"I just guessed the same would be for me. It's not Tai-Lung I'm worried about. He's the least of my worries."

"Why?" Monkey asked the panda. Po only smiled as he started noticing something.

"Where's Tigress?" The four didn't seem to know. Po rushed out to try and find her. "Please tell me she hasn't done anything stupid." Suddenly, he heard familiar fighting sounds from Training Hall. "Whew, she didn't do something stupid. Wait, why?" Po remembered what Tigress and the other four did the first time they heard that Tai-Lung was loose. Why wasn't she insisting on fighting Tai-Lung this time? Po walked over to the Training Hall. Tigress was definitely practicing her fighting. The training sets were still swinging. But right now she was in the corner and looked like she was meditating. "Master Tigress? Are you okay?" Tigress opened her eyes, turned her head towards the panda and smiled. Wait, she smiled? She doesn't start liking Po until after Tai-Lung is defeated. How is she smiling at him? Without any mischievous look?

"I'm fine, Po," she replied. Po had to think about it, but that was also the first time Tigress called him by his name. What's with the change?

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm meditating."

"About what?" Tigress's smiled returned to its normal emotionless face. She looked at the ground a bit and turned her head away from Po.

"I'm... I'm trying to get over my ideal of Master Shifu," She replied.

"What?"

"I've... I've been idolizing Master Shifu for as long as I can remember, never expressing my own behavior. It wasn't until recently that I realized the stuff you were talking to me about was actually trying to address that. I am sorry for not listening sooner."

"Um... that's okay... but... how did you figure that so quickly?" Po asked, amazed. Tigress smirked at him.

"Are you suggesting I'm slow?"

"No, No, no, no! I was just wondering because... um..."

"I'm listening," Tigress egged on.

"Um... I have to go!" Po quickly said, rushing out the room. Tigress allowed a smile to grace her face again. "Okay, that was really _really_ weird. How is she completely calm right now?" Po raced through the barracks where he bumped into the other Furious Five.

"Did you find, Master Tigress?"

"Yes, but... it's weird. She doesn't seem worried about Tai-Lung," Po said, scratching the back of his head.

"You don't either," Mantis noted. Po shrugged. He looked outside, noticing the long shadows of trees outside.

"It's getting late, you guys should sleep. Tai-Lung will likely be here tomorrow," Po replied.

"Po, how do you know so much about Tai-Lung?" Viper asked curiously.

"Yes, panda-"

"AHHHH!" Po jumped out of his skin as he spun around to see a smirking Tigress.

"How do you know the infamous Tai-Lung?" Tigress asked. Po calmed down a bit, breathing out.

"His story is... kind of like mine. Orphan found outside of the father figure's place. Trained up just like his son. The only difference is that his ambition led him to want the power of the Dragon Scroll. When Oogway refused, he demolished the village and tried to take the scroll by force. Shifu tried to stop him but..." Po paused as he looked down at the floor. "It's hard to take down your family, especially your son," Po sighed heavily. Tigress's eyes grew more sympathetic as Po continued. "Finally, it was Oogway who stopped him and Tai-Lung was sent to Chor-gom Prison. But Shifu loved Tai-Lung like he never loved anyone before... or since." Po's gaze turned to Tigress. Tigress thought he was looking at her, but his eyes seemed to go pass her. "Isn't that right, Shifu?" Tigress's eyes popped out in surprise as she spun around and saw Master Shifu standing there with Master Oogway's staff. Shifu sighed heavily.

"It is true. I let my pride of Tai-Lung blind me to what I was making him into. And I've let my coldness bar me from seeing the harshness I was giving all of you," He said to the rest of the Furious Five, but more to Tigress. "And for that, I'm... I'm sorry." Po's eyes gently fell about the staff Shifu held.

"He's gone... isn't he?" Po said sadly. Shifu gently brushed the stick in his hand. Shifu put on a brave face.

"His last words were this: Believe that this will work out. That Po is the Dragon Warrior. Tigress will be your teacher. Wait for Tai-Lung to come, then the rain will come."

"Okay, everything made sense until the 'rain' part," Po said. Tigress rolled her eyes.

"The kettle?" Po's eyes widened.

"Why would he be worried about that?" Po asked audaciously, "That's just a legend about good tea." Tigress softly smiled as she said.

"Stop judging by external standards, and judge by true standards," Tigress said, passing the panda. Po looked to Shifu who only shrugged.

**Continued...**


	6. Brother uniteSorta

Brothers Unite... Sorta.

* * *

Zeng gently sunk into the hot bath prepared for him, relaxing his muscles. "You like it, buddy?" Po asked, looking at the relaxed face of the duck.

"Yes, Dragon Warrior." The duck sighed.

"Good, take as much time as you need. Things will be intense for the next two days," Po replied as he shut the door behind him, seeing Shifu outside. "Hmm?"

"Why are you so worried about Zeng?" Shifu asked curiously. Po sighed heavily.

"It's a hard... long story that I'm not really ready to talk about," Po replied, walking away from the red panda. Po walked all the way to his room where he decided to meditate.

Meanwhile, Tai-Lung walked into the Valley of Peace, a bit shaky and nervous. Rampaging to get the Dragon Scroll was one thing. Now it was completely different. People would be afraid of him, that wasn't something new. Then he remembered the mission and what was at stake. With his fear eased, Tai-Lung walked into the village, unphased by the gasps and frightened looks of the people. Pigs, ducks, bunnies all ran for cover as Tai-Lung headed into Mr. Ping's noodle shop. Mr. Ping wondered why all of his customers dashed out of the place at the sight of the snow leopard. Tai-Lung towered over the goose, looking down at him. Mr. Ping calmly walked over to a stool, brought it over to Tai-Lung, and stood on top of it. "Welcome to Mr. Ping's noodle shop. Now, why did you scare away my customers?" Mr. Ping asked, not knowing who he was. Tai-Lung smiled with a shake of his head.

"I didn't mean to. I'm not really liked much. Here, some money to pay for your losses," Tai-Lung said, holding a back of money he took from bandits around the ridge. Mr. Ping's eyes sparkled at the yuan as he flipped off of the stool and rushed into the kitchen, quickly presenting a menu for the snow leopard. "Um... I would like some of your noodle soup, please."

"Of course, that will be 10 yuan."

"WHAT! It says 3 yuan here!" Tai-Lung exclaimed. Mr. Ping sternly glared at the snow leopard and presented his wooden spoon, dangerously waving it around.

"You want to argue price, or you want to eat?"

"I'll just eat," Tai-Lung wisely said, knowing better than to argue with the goose when has his wooden spoon. With all the Kung Fu knowledge in the world, there are some people you just don't mess with. The people outside the shop were surprised. Tai-Lung eating at Mr. Ping's acting like a normal citizen? A stray bunny girl squeezed through the clustered doorway and slowly approached Tai-Lung from the side.

"Ehh... Excuse me, are you Tai-Lung?" She shyly asked. Tai-Lung was amazed that bunny girl was speaking to him.

"Why, yes. I am."

"They said you're a bad guy," The bunny replied bluntly as she struggled up to the stool. She was about to fall when Tai-Lung caught her and placed her on the counter of the kitchen.

"Well, they are right, I am a bad guy."

"But you don't seem like a bad guy," The bunny said.

"That's because he's a paying customer. Now get your feet off the counter. What do you think this is, a garbage heap?" Mr. Ping sternly quaked. Tai-Lung helped the bunny off the counter and onto the stool.

"Well, I guess that's because I'm different. I'm not worried about what other people think of me. I'm only worried about what I know about myself," Tai-Lung smiled, gently patting the bunny girl's head. "Hey, Mr. Ping. Another round of soup for the girl."

"Of course, 12 yuan for kids."

"Mr. Ping!"

"Alright, alright. 5 yuan, take it or leave it," Mr. Ping grumbled as Tai-Lung rolled his eyes. The bunny girl laughed as villagers quietly observed the 'infamous' Tai-Lung.

A few minutes later, Po was meditating in the Training Hall courtyard when Tigress came up behind him. He jumped up to his feet, spun around, and pointed at her. "AH HA! Gotcha!" Tigress's eyebrow rose, wondering what the panda was referring to. "You're not sneaking up on me again."

"I don't sneak up on you. You're just hard of hearing," Tigress smirked at the panda's pout.

"Dragon Warrior!"

"DAAHAHAH!" Po jumped as he spun around to see Zeng. He looked at Tigress' bemused face. "Not... a... word. What is it, Zeng?"

"Tai-Lung, he's coming here."

"That took him longer than I expected," Shifu mentioned, coming out to the courtyard from the Training Hall. The rest of the Furious Five were behind him.

"Well, he had to get something to eat first and-"

"What?" Po said in a deadpanned voice. Suddenly, a knock on the door called everyone's attention. Zeng looked at Po. "Go ahead and open it." Zeng nervously opened the door and the snow leopard himself was standing in the doorway... panting and out of breath. Po rolled his eyes as he walked up to him. "You're late." Tai-Lung stood up straight, looking Po dead in the eye, slightly insulted.

"Well, it's not easy to climb 10,000 steps on a full stomach, panda," Tai-Lung remarked.

"You've done it _while_ eating before, don't try and make me pity you," Po answered harshly. Tai-Lung looked at him and then at the others.

"Can you believe this guy?" Tai argued. Everyone, save Tigress, was very confused.

"Um... is there a particular reason why you two aren't... I don't know... fighting... like for the Dragon Warrior Title," Viper asked. Tai-Lung placed crossed his arms and glared at the already irritated panda.

"What?"

"You didn't tell them?" Tai-Lung asked. Po rolled his eyes.

"I was worried about other stuff. I didn't have time. Plus, they wouldn't believe me," Po replied. Tai-Lung sighed, rubbing his head.

"Okay, here's the deal-"

"You two are from a future where you two work together to bring harmony to China. After being reformed, Tai-Lung became your friend, I think, and you two are here because of a person named Emo sent you back in the past," Tigress summarized. Po and Tai-Lung's mouth dropped while their eyes shot open.

"Hhhh how did you... know that?" Po stuttered. Tigress smiled.

"It would be impossible for you two to know each other this well in the present state. No one but me, Master Shifu, and Master Oogway know about Tai-Lung's past in detail as you told it, Po. And Po knew almost everything about us personally rather than surface level facts like a fan would," Tigress explained. Po was struck stupid as Tai-Lung laughed.

"You were always the smartest one among us, sister," He said.

"I wouldn't get too informal, though," Tigress said in an emotionless tone. Tai-Lung chuckled humorously.

"Of course."

"How did you-"

"Po, she just went through it, keep up," Tai-Lung remarked. Po pouted again, making Tigress softly chuckle as Shifu walked up to Tai-Lung.

"So you're not the Tai-Lung I failed," Shifu said grieved. Tai-Lung sighed as he sat down on the ground and faced his former master.

"You never failed me, Master Shifu. While yes, your pride did blind you to what was happening to me, it was my choice to see the Dragon Warrior title as a sense of power, and not of responsibility. We both had a hand in this, but my in much bigger."

"Can we stop with the boo-hoo story? Right now, I need to spare with you so we can fight Emo and get out of here," Po reminded the snow leopard. Tai-Lung rose his eyebrow.

"Go on without me, I'll catch up," he said. Po rolled his eyes and grumbled away. "Has he always been like that?" Tai asked Tigress.

"He only seems to get that way when he's referring to you. It almost sounds like he really wants to leave this place," Tigress answered. The visible surprise on Tai-Lung's face was enough to make Tigress ask, "What memories does he have of becoming Dragon Warrior?"

"He's always said that he loved it. It was one of the best days of his life. I don't know why he wouldn't want to relive it," Tai-Lung explained. Tigress thought about it.

"Maybe it's not the memory he wants to avoid, but the trial," Tigress said more to herself than to Tai-Lung. "Wait here for a second." She rushed over to go to the Training Hall where Po was. Tai-Lung was left with a stun, shocked, and paralyzed Furious Five. Tai-Lung chuckled nervously.

"So... how are you?" Shifu shook his head with a small smile.

**Continued...**


	7. The Retest

The Retest

* * *

Po struck his fists at the spinning head of the wooden soldiers, expertly dodging and kicking the dummy. With one final punch, Po broke the dummy in pieces. "I thought I was the only one that did that often," Mused Tigress as she walked beside Po. The panda was still in a bad mood.

"What is it, Tigress?"

"Why are you upset about being here?"

"I don't want to be stuck in the past... literally!" Po exclaimed, flailing his arms. Tigress crossed her arms and eyed the panda suspiciously. "What?"

"I would think reliving your 'most exciting moment' would be something you feel happy about," Tigress stated. Po sighed, looking away from the tiger. "So... what actually is wrong?" Po paused as he walked a bit, thinking of words to say.

"I don't want to learn the same lesson." Tigress stayed quiet. "I don't want to go through the pain of learning who I am again. That's been my entire time of being Dragon Warrior, learning who I am! I'm tired of learning the same lesson!" Po exclaimed. He looked at Tigress and noticed her silence. "I know, pathetic."

"Actually, I was going to say it sounded like something I do very often." Po's face perked up in confusion. "When you first did the Training Hall, were you any good at it?"

"No," Po sighed, chuckling a bit at the memory. "I... invented a level... zero."

"Which consisted of-"

"Me bouncing around the Training Hall like a ball let loose in a machine," Po sighed. Tigress gave a small smile. "But the... the hardest thing was to have you guys... hate me."

"When you defeated Tai-Lung and did the Training Hall again, were you still at level zero?" Tigress asked. Po was definitely confused.

"No."

"So you took the same lesson, but you went through it much faster, right?" Tigress asked.

"What are you getting at, Tigress?"

"Because it's the same lesson, you should be able to get through it much faster," Tigress explained plainly. Po's priceless open-mouthed face of realization caused Tigress to smile wider. "Don't focus on the trial. You've already done this before. You know who you are, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then retaking a lesson on self-discovery shouldn't be hard since you already know the lesson," Tigress explained.

"Huh," Was all that Po could say.

"Not bad for someone who doesn't know the future, hm?" Tigress smirked.

"I didn't mean that. I wasn't trying to say you don't know anything! I mean... What I meant to say was-"

"Po, Po, stop! Your brain will overload if you talk too much," Tai-Lung laughed as he and Shifu walked in. Po silently sulked as Tigress only smiled. "So... Emo will be coming for three things, Scrolls concerning time travel, the Emerald of Gah-fam-lime, and some water from the Reflecting Pool. He'll be his old self when he comes, though. He'll probably be at the old dottering retirement house he was in before he turned into this pain in the-"

"How will we learn what he looks like?" Shifu interrupted

"Trust me, he'll look just as ugly as he did before," Po answered Shifu. Tigress gently grabbed Oogway's staff from Shifu, going unnoticed by Po and Tai-Lung. "We could've had more time to prepare if someone didn't stop for lunch."

"Oh please, you are the very VERY last person to talk about food stops!" Tai-Lung argued.

"You should have been here right along with Zeng!"

"I was busy fighting some bandits! I might as well keep doing what I do best! Fight!"

"Enough!" Tigress shouted, smacking the two on the head with Oogway's staff.

"OW!" Po/Tai-Lung cried out.

"It's time you two work on your fighting, and if I know anything about pandas and Tai-Lung, I should be able to use the same motivation for both of you," She said, presenting a delicious looking rice cake. The two boys' mouth started watering. "The first one to defeat the other gets it. Ready?"

"Wait, what kind of-"

"GO!" Po on instinct tackled Tai-lung to the ground and ran for the bowl. The snow leopard growled, getting up, flipping forward, and blocking Po from the food. The two glared at each other. Tigress stood on the sideline. "Hmm, I think I'll enjoy teaching these two."

"I must admit, Master Tigress. You've learned how to adapt to this situation most... easily," Shifu noted as Po jumped up and tried to land a kick on Tai-Lung. The snow leopard back-flipped to the Jade Sparring bowl as Po followed.

"I guess I realized that my destiny is different than what I thought. I always thought I would be the next Dragon Warrior, but that wouldn't be for me," Tigress sighed, looking at the two take turns 'defeating' each other.

"They are actually very good fighters. Especially, Po," Shifu noticed, "When do you think they'll learn that you've eaten the whole thing."

"WHAT!" Po and Tai-Lung shouted. Po whined miserably.

"It looked so good," Po sighed in an exaggerated tone in a corner. Tai-Lung rolled his eyes. Tigress chuckled a bit as she didn't actually eat the food.

"Well, you could use some more training, but I think a good break is in order," Tigress smirked as she produced two bowls of food. They had been sparring for four hours, although it didn't seem like it. Po and Tai-Lung dashed for it, but then Tai-Lung paused.

"Wait, who made this?"

"I did?" Tigress said, confused why he asked. Tai stopped Po from eating it.

"What! I haven't eaten regularly since you've gotten here," Po exclaimed.

"Do you remember Tigress's cooking BEFORE you came?" Tai-Lung pointed out. Po looked back at his bowl, took a small sip, and then frowned.

"I'm not hungry." Po suddenly said. Tigress glared at the two, "It's not that your cooking is bad... but... umm... what's exactly wrong with it, Tai-Lung?" He asked, pointing the snow leopard on the spot.

"Umm well... it's... wait, why am I explaining myself?! You're the one who tasted it."

"You're the one that pointed it out that her cooking is atrocious in the past... er present," Po recovered. The two saw the tiger's death glare, "Not that it's a bad thing... it's just... um..."

"Don't get angry, Tigress," Shifu actually "Bludded" out, "Taste it for yourself." Shifu gave Tigress some of her own soup. She twisted her face in disgust and spat out the food. "Well, now we know exactly what training you need now, Master Tigress."

"What's that?"

"Cooking!" Tai-Lung, Po, and Shifu said in unison. It was quiet for a moment, but then Po started laughing, making Tai-Lung laugh followed by Tigress and Shifu. Tai-Lung sighed as he calmed down.

"Ah, I miss this," Tai-Lung sighed. Tigress noticed this.

"Why? Are we not together in the future?" Tigress asked.

"Well, yes, but not with Master Shifu. It has to do with... Zeng," Po grunted a bit in anger.

"You two seem very protective of Zeng, why?" Shifu asked curiously. The brothers looked at each other, Po sighed.

"You see-"

**Continued...**


	8. The Truth

The Truth

* * *

"You see... In our future, Emo convinces Zeng to betray you guys because... well... you guys don't really treat Zeng all that well," Po said, gently, trying not to hurt their feelings. Tigress and Shifu were shocked.

"So... you had to-"

"No, no, no, Zeng ended up turning over and he's working at the Palace again, but the future Master Shifu couldn't bear the guilt of having somewhat caused it, so he left the Jade Palace grounds and went up north," Tai-Lung explained. "From that point on, we just made sure that Zeng was well-taken care of. It's a bit of a habit."

"Wow, I never would have thought that someone like Zeng would be so consequential," Tigress said quite honestly. Po sighed, a bit irritated by her statement, but knew she didn't mean it. "I don't mean that Zeng isn't important, it's just-"

"We know. You already said something like that in the future," Po sighed.

"Since you're in the past, shouldn't you be very careful about how you say and do things in the past that will affect the future?" Shifu asked.

"I don't think it would. Push comes to shove, we would be able to replicate some of the notes that Emo used. Something tells me things will be alright," Tai-Lung sighed as he clapped his hands together. "Alright," He said as the other Furious Five came into the room. "Let's get down to business. Emo is going to be coming but it will take him a while. In the meantime, we have to come up with a plan to not only get him but also get back to our original time."

"Emo needs the three things that _were_ located in the Hall of Heroes," Po explained, producing the scroll and emerald from out of his pocket. "If he were to get these, he would cause problems you don't want to have."

"How do you plan to stop him?" Monkey asked.

"The last time we stopped him, we were using Zeng to help. This time, I don't know, actually," Tai-Lung sighed. Then an idea came into Po's head. "Uh Oh. I know that look."

"It's not going to be that bad," Po argued. Tai-Lung rose his eyebrow in disbelief.

"We're talking about you, right?"

"Haha, very funny," Po muttered, "What if we _allowed _him to get the stuff?" Tai-Lung's eyes widened as he started to growl.

"ARE YOU NUTS!"

"Hear me out," Po said, throwing his hands up, "He needs these things to get back to the time we're in. If we let him get the stuff, let him prepare it and then jump him-"

"We'll be able to get back to the time period we were before," Tai-Lung finished, astonished by the panda's idea. Po smirked cockily.

"See, it's not such a dumb plan, now is it?"

"No, it's still quite dumb," Tigress interjected, deflating the panda's ego, "How are you sure it won't go array?" Po was about to answer, but he couldn't figure out the answer and only shrugged with a nervous smile. Everyone groaned.

"Well if anyone has any better ideas, I'm open to hearing them," Po exclaimed.

"We'll think of something," Tai-Lung grunted, "For now, why don't we just focus on being able to defeat the ugly rhino." The others agreed. As the five went to training, Po suddenly found Oogway's staff in front of him. He looked over to Tigress, who had a cheeky smile as she motioned him to follow her. Po turned to Tai-Lung who only shrugged. The two walked over to the Heavenly Peach Tree. Tigress sat down on the grass, inhaling some scent only she seemed to pick up. Po looked up at the clouds. Still sunny.

"Um... Tigress, is there a reason why you brought me up here?" Po asked.

"To make sure of something," Tigress said calmly as Po sat down next to her. "Tea?" Po rose an eyebrow. "What?"

"When did you get hot tea on your way here?" Po asked. Tigress only smirked.

"I have many ways, panda," Tigress replied. Po took the tea and took a tentative sip. "Not as bad as my food, is it?"

"What?! No, no, no! You made the best teas around! It's just your cooking need a bit of work. Not that it wasn't bad before, or I mean... I'm rambling again, aren't I?" Po muttered with a defeated sigh. Tigress only smiled as she took a sip of her own tea. "Why did you call me up here?" Tigress's face turned serious.

"I need to know something a bit more personal about my future," Tigress stated. Po sighed.

"Tigress, if things go the way I think they will, I don't think you'll remember what happened." Tigress smiled at the panda.

"I know, but for right now, I need to know," She paused for a moment. "Do you guys know what happened to my parents?" Po's eyes widened. He hadn't expected that. He sighed as he shifted his weight around uncomfortably. He looked at the sky for a moment.

"Why do you want to know that?" Po finally asked.

"I just... I wanted to know if... there was ever a reason to me being left at the Bao Goo Orphanage," Tigress replied. Po sighed.

"I don't think you _need _to know."

"Why?"

"Because it doesn't matter. Look at where you are right now. Teaching the Dragon Warrior and the former infamous Tai-Lung. And you're already a natural at it. I know exactly what I'm doing when I get back to my original time," Po smiled, "But your past is going to be your past. You were left at the orphanage for whatever reason, but that doesn't make up who you are. If anything, growing up there made you strong, didn't it?" Tigress stared at the panda for a while and then nodded.

"I guess you're right, but... why not answer my question?"

"Because I'm more worried about you than your answers," Po explained. Tigress nodded as she stood up. "I hope that helped."

"It did. And your right. I don't need the answers, I need to care about bettering myself."

"You need to worry about the present. Not the future, not the past. The present," Po explained, standing up and placing his hand on her shoulder. "You're a strong person, Tigress. That's something that I've always loved about you." Tigress smiled, but then she smirked cheekily again, "Oh no."

"By the way, what is your relationship between you and me in the future?"

"AHAHAHAHA! That is Tai-Lung calling me, I should get going!" Po said, darting down the mountain. Tigress just smiled. Unknown to Tigress, Po didn't run that far because Tai-Lung had followed the two. "AHH! Tai-Lung! Don't scare me like that!" Tai-Lung didn't say a word. He just looked at him with an emotionless face. "You were eavesdropping?"

"Listening. Why didn't you tell her about her parents? She deserves to know."

"But she doesn't _need_ to know. Just like you didn't need to know about your parents," Po replied as he patted him on the shoulder.

"Oh, and why didn't you tell her about the relationship you two have?" Tai-Lung smirked.

"Shut up, kitty cat!" Po snapped and grumbled under the snow leopard's teasing.

**Continued...**


	9. The last Exam

The Last Exam

* * *

"Keep your elbow up!" Tigress shouted as the two brothers fought again. They normally did this anyways since Tai-Lung knew all of the scrolls yet Po's unpredictability kept the snow leopard sharp. "Lift that leg higher Po!" Tigress seemed to be enjoying keeping the brothers in line. How she was able to adapt so quickly to this unfamiliar situation is anyone's guess.

"HIYA!" The two cried out as they struck each other's fists.

"Hehe, we're evenly matched as always," Tai-Lung smirked. Po chuckled.

"Not really," he smiled as he grabbed the snow leopard's hand and tossed him over his shoulder. "You're more skilled. I'm more unpredictable." Po smiled triumphantly at a defeated Tai-Lung. "WHOA!" Po exclaimed as he found himself on the floor.

"Don't let your guard down," Tigress reminded him as she walked from behind him.

"Tigress on the hand is a completely different story," Po grunted as she helped him back up.

"I must ask, Tai-Lung. I imagine I gave you a hard time when you came back from being defeated from Po," Tigress smirked. Tai-Lung rolled his eyes as he groaned.

"That is an understatement. It took you two years just for you to call me by my actual name. And another year for you to call me brother," Tai-Lung grunted. Po laughed a bit as he started walking outside, noticing the clear skies above. His eyes widened as he ran back inside.

"Emo's coming today," He urgently stated. Tigress and Tai-Lung were confused.

"What? How could you tell?"

"The sky is clear, but I can tell it's going to rain," Po replied. The two cats looked at each other with an almost defeated look.

"And that's going to be a predictor because..."

"Oogway said to wait for the rain. I had a feeling that that also meant that Emo would come during that time," Po explained. Tigress looked at Tai, expecting for him to be on the same kind of skeptical level as she was. But he only shrugged.

"Po has done crazier and has been correct before," He stated. "Like Master Shifu said. His head is not always thinking, but his heart has always been in the right place." Tigress sighed. Though still suspicious of the big cat, she couldn't really do much but to trust the two of them.

"Alright, then. We better prepare for the fight." Tigress sighed.

"I'll get the others," Po replied, going out to the Hall of Heroes. Tigress was about to leave, but Tai-Lung stopped her. She was a little irritated, even though she had learned to let go of her anger for the snow leopard, actually doing it was a challenge.

"What?"

"Are you sure you can do this?" Tai-Lung asked. The tiger glared at the snow leopard.

"I'm more than capable to handle this."

"I'm not asking for capability," Tai-Lung said seriously, "I'm asking mentally and emotionally." Tigress's eyebrow rose as Tai-Lung sighed. "Tigress, in the future you and I have a very... tit-for-tat relationship, but we are at the very least siblings."

"That's debatable, but that won't matter in a couple of minutes when Emo comes." Tigress replied.

"Emo has a way of manipulating people. I don't want your dislike of me to be a tool for him," Tai-Lung explained.

"And why is that such a problem for you?" Tigress asked with her arms folded. Tai-Lung sighed.

"One time, Emo promised to help you find your parents in the future if you could manage to get me out of the Jade Palace and be exiled from the Valley of Peace." Tigress's eyes widened, but she shook off her shock as she glared at him again.

"There's no way I would betray Shifu and the others, even Po like that."

"You didn't. You were just trying to get rid of me. The Furious Five were already on board with it, but Po was the only one that seemed to be against it. You almost managed to get me gone until Po stopped you and talked you out of it."

"How did he do that?"

"He mentioned something about your parents not wanting this to happen," Tai-Lung replied softly. Tigress's gaze turned to the doorway where Po exited.

"And what did you do?"

"After that, I tried my best to make sure that you were doing fine," Tai-Lung explained. Tigress looked at him with a skeptical look. "It wasn't fun with the amount of shouting we did, but it was worth it in the end."

"Why?"

"Because we finally took care of what was bothering you from the beginning. Shifu's admiration. Hehe, it was fun to see him struggle with it," Tai-Lung laughed, but he stopped when he saw Tigress's glare. "I mean, he stuttered a lot and... well, it was surprisingly cute, hehe. The point is that I want to make sure that Emo doesn't try to do the same thing." Tigress breathed in and out, softly pondering the snow leopard's words.

"He won't."

"How do you know?"

"Because I learned my lesson now. And I'm not doing a reexamination," Tigress forcefully said. Tai-Lung smirked.

"Stubbornness was always your thing," He said as he walked towards the Hall of Heroes with her. Tigress gave a huff of amusement.

"It runs in the family... brother."

* * *

The duck went into the Hall of Heroes under the cover of the dark cloudy day. He slowly looked around, making sure that the coast was clear before quickly slinking over to the Reflecting Pool. "Mmmm, this is it," Zeng said as he scooped up a small tube of the water. "Now, for the rest." Zeng walked around, trying to find the Emerald and scorll. He finally found it. "Yess, finally! Now I don't need this disguise." The 'Zeng' suddenly transformed into a large VERY VERY old rhino. A familiar one to the two brothers. Emo laughed and cackled into a hackle as he started applying the ingredients that needed to be mixed. "Yes! Finally, I can go back to the time to I exact my revenge! All to do now is to pour the mixture on the Reflecting Pool" Emo exclaimed. Suddenly, a blinding crack of lightning from outside startled him, making him toss the tube into the air. "No, no, no!"

It was caught by a furry long tail, then thrown over to a group of people waiting near the front door of the Hall. "Well, we were beginning to think you wouldn't show up," said a smirking snow leopard.

"WHAT!? How are you two here?! This is impossible!" Emo roared.

"Hehe, it's whatever," Po replied. Emo lifted his hands with a blue aura and started lifting things in the Hall of Heroes and tossing them at the Furious Five.

"Whoa! Easy there!" Tai-Lung jumped.

"Give me back that VIAL!" Emo roared, throwing another piece of armor at the team.

"Not a chance," Po growled, breaking through one of the armors with his bare hands. "You've caused this team, this family enough damage as it is. You're going down, right now." Monkey quickly jumped down from the beams and started distracting Emo by slapping his hands on his eyes.

"Peek a boo," He said, removing his hand as Po clobbered him with his fist.

"I see you," Po smirked as the rhino tumbled down. Emo was about to get back up but Po stopped him as he threw something at Emo. The rhino held up his hands to block it, only to hear a cuffing sound. Po had thrown a pair of unique cuffs that wrapped around the Rhino's hands. Monkey quickly slapped a piece of cloth around his mouth and gagged him. "Now, say a spell." Po teased, holding his ear up to the Rhino. "Hehe, I didn't think so."

"That was easier than I thought," Tigress mentioned.

"It was supposed to be," Po sighed, grabbing the tube from Monkey. "Well, I guess this is goodbye. Or... till we. You know I don't know how this going to play out."

"If my suspicion is correct, I think I know what we're up against next." Tai-Lung sighed. He turned and bowed to the Furious Five. "It was an honor meet you all in a... different kind of way."

"Well, surprises are good sometimes," Crane joked awkwardly.

"Po, I must ask. That phrase you kept using: Don't judge by external standards and judge by true standards. Where did you get that?" Master Shifu asked.

"I got it from you," Po smiled.

"I don't think you'll remember the things we did here, but-"

"It's the thought that counts," Tigress interrupted Tai-Lung. "Besides, you have to deal with the older me," She smirked. Tai-Lung sighed in dread. "And Po?" Tigress called. Po looked back and nearly jumped as he found the tiger kissing him. "Give that to your 'girlfriend' in the future," She smirked. Po's eyes darted to Tai-Lung who only threw up his hands defensively.

"I said nothing," The snow leopard declared. He grabbed Emo, drug him to the pool as Po started poring in the mixture. The pool quickly lit up with a vibrant blue color.

"Well, see you guys," Po smiled as he, Emo, and Tai-Lung jumped through the portal to the other side.

**continued...**


	10. The end of the lesson

The End of the lesson

* * *

The three of them exited the portal, immediately looking around. "Have any different memories?"

"No," Po answered Tai-Lung. They were in the same stony place they had exited. Emo struggled against his confinement, but Tai-Lung simply knocked him out cold. "Where's Tigress?"

"Po, is that you," Said a very old voice. Po spun around to see a hunched over tigress with a cane.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Po exclaimed, grabbing Emo and shaking him awake. "You better fix this or I'm going to-" then a burst of loud laughter erupted from the dark long hall they came from to get Emo. Po and Tai-Lung looked over to see the rest of the Furious Five... in perfect health. Then what happened to Tigress? Po and Tai looked over to the tiger, who removed a bunch of make-up and threw away the cane. She wore a smirk on her face as she walked up to them.

"Welcome back." Tigress cheekily replied. "It was Monkey's idea to scare you a bit. You've only been gone for half an hour or so."

"How did you know we would be back here?" Tai-Lung asked.

"I went back to Master Shifu, who just happened to be at the Jade Palace when you jumped through the portal. He heard a message from Master Oogway from the Spirit Realm to expect you here in a few minutes."

"Hmm, time does work differently in there," Tai-Lung replied, remembering his time in the Spirit Realm. Po, who had been stricken dumb by the fact that he had been played, now started growling AT Tigress.

"ARE YOU INSANE?!" He shouted, storming up to a very calm tiger, "I thought we had over skipped the timeline and I was nearly about to kill Emo if he didn't fix this! How could you just prank me like that and-" Before Po could finish, Tigress kissed him on the lips, hushing him up for a moment. When they released each other from their embrace, Po blushed but pouted. "I'm still angry at you."

"I'm sorry."

"By the way, you wouldn't happen to remember anything about us going back in time, right?" Tai-Lung asked to which Tigress shook her head. "Okay," Tai-Lung sighed in relief. "We didn't break the timeline."

"Why though?" Po asked.

"The scroll that Emo took was to correct time, not manipulate it. When you smashed that vial the first time, it sent us to a different time period instead of fixing Emo's mismatched time-related body." Tai-Lung explained. He sighed when he saw the panda's clueless look. "Never mind, I'll explain it over lunch," He muttered as he knocked out Emo again and started dragging him outside.

"Where did you guys go?" Tigress asked as the team walked out of Emo's lair.

"Back to when I was chosen as Dragon Warrior."

"It must have been fun for you," Tigress smiled.

"Well, no," Po sighed, earning a surprised look from Tigress. "I didn't want to go through the pain I went through to be Dragon Warrior again. But you... I mean the past you, made me realize that I was being stupid and that because I learned the lesson the first time, taking the test the second time should be easier."

"Hmm, the stupid part seems like something I would say," Tigress smirked to which Po rolled his eyes as they got outside. Then

CRASH BOOM!

A light drizzle started to become a large shower of rain outside. Po looked over to a nearby burning fire that Emo's soldiers had used. It had a kettle on it. The fire was still burning and the kettle started steaming and filling up with rainwater. Po added the peach leaves from his pocket. He let it simmer for a while before pouring out some into a small cup he found lying around. He took a small sip of the tea. "Huh, I guess the legend is true," Po smiled.

"Po, are you coming?" Tai-Lung to him. Po got up and ran after the group.

"Coming," he said with a smile as he threw his arms around Tai-Lung and Crane as the team walked back home.

* * *

Why so short? Because there is one lesson I want you all to learn. Many of you wonder why the same kind of man, woman, girl, boy, mistake, seduction, accident, battle, whatever, keeps happening to you. It may be that you're going through a bad patch in life or it may be that certain choices you make are affecting life. In either case, _**learn the lesson**_. Life is too diverse and wonderful for you to waste your time learning the same lesson over and over and not showing improvement. If you had a bad girl/boyfriend before and the next seems the same, cut away from that person. Don't sell yourself short in what you can accomplish.

It's also short because I wanted to do a more important project. Sorry about it. I honestly ran out of ideas for this one. LOL.

**The End**


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